Monster World IV
| Monster World IV | |
|---|---|
 Monster World IV box art | |
| Developer(s) | Westone |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Artist(s) | Maki Ohzora |
| Composer(s) | Jin Watanabe |
| Series | Wonder Boy/Monster World |
| Platform(s) | Mega Drive, Virtual Console, PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade |
| Release | Mega Drive Wii Virtual Console XBLA/PSN May 23, 2012 |
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Monster World IV is an adventure platform game, developed by Westone and released exclusively in Japan by Sega for the Sega Mega Drive in April 1994. It is the sixth and final game in the Wonder Boy/Monster World series. It was later released on the Wii's Virtual Console service in Japan on January 15, 2008. An English-language version was released in North America and Europe for Virtual Console on May 10, 2012, with a release on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network to follow on May 23, 2012.[1][2][3][4]
Story
The story involves a young girl named Asha, who upon hearing spirits whisper on the wind pleading for help, embarks on a journey to find and aid them. Along the way she becomes master of a genie and adopts a small monster she names Pepe'.
Characters
- Asha is a young, green-haired girl dressed in Arabian-influenced nomadic gear. Sensitive to the presence of spirits, Asha is able to hear the pleas of the Elemental Spirits coming from Monster World, and ultimately endeavors to free them.
- Pepe' is a pepelougoo, which are a race of small, spherical-shaped monsters, who flap their ears to fly. While most of the peperogus in Monster World are yellow, Pepe' is blue. He is seen as more than just a curiosity to several people in Monster World; as in ancient days, the blue ones had been all but wiped out by people fearful of their magical abilities.
- Purapril XIII, descendant of Purapril from the previous Monster World games, and ruler of the kingdom.
- The Sage of Save is an elderly man who travels across Monster World, popping up in unexpected places, and recording people's memories. Game mechanic-wise, by talking to him, the player can save their progress thus far.
- Genie of the Lamp is a sarcastic spirit being who resides in an old oil lamp. He becomes Asha's companion and servant on her quest, which he treats as just another hum-drum activity he will do before he is (as with several classical genie stories) lost for another one thousand years. He is the one who transports Asha to and from Monster World.
- Elemental Spirits, the four Companions from the previous game:
- Priscilla, a Fairy Sprite originally hailing from Alsedo, the Fairy Village.
- Hotta, the dwarf child, whose background is rooted in the swampy area of Lilypad, the Dwarf Village.
- Shabo, a Grim Reaper-esque wraith who offered aid in the frozen wasteland of Childam, the Darkworld Village.
- The Elder-Dragon's Grandson, a young fire-breathing dragon who provided much-needed assistance in-and-around Begonia, the Dragon Village.
Gameplay
Gameplay is a mix of action-adventure, platforming and RPG genres, it revolves around walking along a 2D landscape fighting a variety of monsters, as well as interacting with various people. Playing the game also requires Asha to utilize Pepe's abilities; such as clogging a lava geyser with his flame resistant body. Combat is further developed from the previous games in the series, with Ashe able to attack downwards, upwards and across while jumping and the ability to manually block with a shield, there is also a critical hit system where with some swords after a certain number of attacks the player will deal extra dage, this is based on a sword's 'Magical Hit' statistic. Platforming gameplay is also expanded upon with the use of Pepe, Ashe can use Pepe to double-jump and glide to reach areas her abilities don't allow her too. The player can also purchase new weapons, shieds and armour, armour adds an amountof extra hearts to the player's health, allowing them to take more damage. There are collectible life drops that also increase the player's health. Herbs can be used from the inventory to restore health and if the player wishes to leave a dungeon to head back to the city the genie can be used from the inventory.
References
- ^ http://kotaku.com/5909193/two-sega-classics-make-this-nintendo-download-half-as-sucky-as-the-last
- ^ "Vintage Collection 3 Announced". Retrieved 12 May 2011.
- ^ "More Sega Classics for Virtual Console". Sega.com. 2012-05-03. Retrieved 2012-05-03.
- ^ http://www.theverge.com/gaming/2012/5/18/3028196/segas-retro-collection-hits-psn-and-xbox-live-may-23